Estate Canepro

• CanePro is a multi-user application designed specifically for the requirements of large commercial sugar estates.
• CanePro provides an integrated solution for managing fields, estimates, irrigation, employees, vehicles and materials.
• CanePro consolidates all your data into a single database with controlled access for all users.
• CanePro affords improved insight and decision making with its easy-to-use graphical reporting interface.
• CanePro enables middle management to become accountable for decisions by allocating responsibilities to specific tasks.

Dynamic Harvest Planner

Harvest planning is arguably the most important agricultural task carried out on a large sugar estate. Apart from the need for information required by harvesting departments in terms of a field harvest sequence, the harvest plan forms the basis for a number of crucial decisions:

• An estate yield estimate
• Season start and duration
• Other agricultural operations, the timing of which are dictated by field harvest date.

The harvest planning algorithm used in CanePro is a cumulative demand/supply model working within the demand constraint of a mill throughput curve. Tons of cane available from fields constitute the supply component. Given a demand curve and a field harvest order the algorithm is capable of estimating cane tonnage and harvest date using the estimate model assigned to each field.

Cutting fronts and their relative supply strength are defined by the user. Fields are assigned to cutting fronts and can be grouped/ordered to meet the estate's harvest sequence objectives. CanePro employs easy to use "drag and drop" techniques to allow users to adjust the harvest order within a front or move fields between fronts.

The volume of cane estimated from each field determines that field's harvest duration and the start of harvest for the subsequent field in the harvest sequence. CanePro offers three yield estimate models ranging from a manual estimate where the user defines a field's yield, to a forecast method using a growth simulation model driven by prevailing weather conditions.

CanePro allows for three estimates; an original estimate (usually locked prior to the start of the season), a current estimate (dynamic estimate), and an official estimate (confidential estimate). As the season progresses actual mill throughput and yields replace estimates, usually through a direct link to the mill weighbridge. Each time the Harvest Planner is re-run the algorithm reschedules remaining fields accounting for actual progress to date.

Numerous graphical and tabular reports allow the user to monitor progress and performance against budget, evaluate age effects, cane quality performance and manage harvest and haulage contractors. Harvest dates drive the timing of a host of other agricultural operations.

The Harvest Planner is central to CanePro's Resource Planning and Budget modules affording a dynamic process in which the phasing of operations and resources automatically adjusts to changes in harvest sequence and mill throughput.